Things Change
by DanieAlexisJacks
Summary: After fighting for years, only Harry, Hermione, and Ron remain. After Voldemort falls Harry discovers exactly how much he didn't know, friends he thought dead, are now very alive enemies and he learns one thing above all others; Things Change.


The smell of blood reached his nose. Quite a bit of it, this was a scent he had come in contact with more times than he would like to admit. Harry Potter laid in a dank dark dungeon, with only the moonlight streaming through the windows to accompany him. His hair had grown long and his body was covered in a layer of grime. He had struck down Voldemort what seemed like hours prior, but time felt like it ticked so slowly that his perception of time was askew.

_He was taking in a breath for a cry of victory when he was grabbed from behind a drug away._

_ "You think you did something good Potter?" A familiar voice sneered in his ear, "you have done nothing but make the mistress upset."_

Soon he was knocked out and woke to these dungeons. He wondered where Ron and Hermione could be, hopefully they got away. The barred window before him reminded him of the Dursleys, they had been massacred months before in their safe house on the shore. The full moon shining through, bathing the stone floor took him back to Lupin's death. He stood before his family and took the spell fire, but ultimately Tonks fell too, and little Teddy's body had yet to be found.

The door to the dungeon opened slowly with a long painful screech from the hinges begging for lubricant. A masked figure came in and pulled the boy who lived off the ground by his collar and drug him up the stairs with out the slightest sound. Harry stumbled up the stairs and through the hallways of a stately manor, passing more cloaked figures as he went.

They came to an abrupt halt before double doors, exquisitely carved into many different magical creatures frolicking through a wood. The serpent's head carved in the middle stretched, as if cracking it's neck before speaking, "The Mistress will see you now."

The door swung open the reveal a large ballroom, filled with deatheaters. It was set up as a throne room, with two large chairs squatting at the far end of the room. Only one of them was filled, a woman with a black veil covering her face sat in the chair to the left. She sat in the straight backed chair, hands folded on her lap, black empire waist dress making her skin look paper white.

He was pulled through the middle isle, the only space not filled by the black clothed people sitting in rows of chairs as if attending a funeral service. Harry was tossed to the ground at the woman's feet, they were bare, but well taken care of.

"On your knees Potter, I can't have you lying about on my marble, it was just shined this morning" her voice was bitter, but sounded familiar.

Harry pulled himself off the ground and stood on his knees before the veiled woman.

"Not so strong are we now, hm?" She taunted him.

She rose from her throne slowly to pace the room but Harry kept his eyes on the ground.

"You see, , killing my husband did you no good. It was a great pain to us all, but there will always be someone to pick up where we have left off." She paced the area before the thrones, "I have been half of the brains of his operation for the past two years, and I know how you think. I know you better than anyone else does."

"Who are you?" Harry whispered.

The room gasped and she snapped to face him he looked up at her for the first time since she stood. Her belly was swollen with child, Harry's eyes went wide.

Her voice was full of venom when she spoke next, a whisper that some how filled the whole room, he could practically feel the air shaking with terror. "You will not speak out of turn again. Do not open your mouth unless told to do so."

He let his eyes fall to the ground.

"It doesn't really matter who I am. All the matters is that I know how you and your friends think, move, and plan. I know everyone of your safe houses, I have killled most of your secret keepers." She went back to her casual, bitter tone.

"You think I am pure evil, and that's fine. I really could care less. But I did offer them a position with me before I struck them down." She continued.

"What postition were you offering a six month old?" Harry bit out.

A slap stung across his face before he could take another breath. She grabbed him by the face with one hand and leaned her veiled one close to his. He was reminded in this moment of Bellatrix LeStrange and wondered for a moment if this could actually be her.

"Do not speak!" She shouted her voice echoing off the polished surfaces of the room, "this is your last warning."

The pregnant woman threw him to the ground and started to pace again. "I assume you are speaking of Edward. He is upstairs with a sitter as we speak, it was only fitting that he live with his Godmother after his parents' untimely death. He will never know the difference, he's three and has known nothing other than me and my husband. He has made a wonderful big brother so far, and will continue to do so. He will be absolutely wrecked when I tell them of the death of the only father he has ever known."

Relief flooded Harry to know that Teddy was alive, but anger that Voldemort was the only father he has ever known.

"Also, he goes by Romulus now." She said off handed "A more fitting name than that of a weak wizard, caught by snatchers. It is a pitty that so much magical blood has had to be spilled, but they were all presented with the same offer. They chose to defend those vile muggles, when we deserve to be the superior race." She snapped angrily "We stay in hiding like sewer rats, when we should be ruling. Do you know how many muggle born children are killed, or rot in orphanges because they showed accidental magic? The so called holy men, claim that they are full of demons so they a drowned in holy water all for the sake of purifying their 'perfect' world."

She rubbed her belly protectively, "these sweet innocent children don't have a chance because they are different. All magical blood should be protected, don't you agree?"

The room went quiet as the walked back to her chair, and settled on the cushion, waving away the help of a woman who rose from the front row. "Thank you Narcissa, but I am not quite that helpless yet."

"So Harry. I'm curious have you discovered who I am yet?"

He looked up and opened his mouth, but stopped before the words came out, remembering her earlier threat.

"You may speak now." She motioned him on.

"Where is she?" His voice cracked.

"Who?" She leaned forward in her seat.

"You said that he was living with his Godmother. She must be here."

The woman threw her head back and cackled. The room was filled with her laughs, bouncing off the vaulted ceiling and marble floors.

"Oh Harry." She took a breath "I haven't laughed that hard in a while. I had forgotten how funny you are."

That's when she reached for her veil, and slowly lifted it off of her face. First scarlet lips appeared, followed by a slightly upturned nose, and then eyes so dark it looked as if her irises where black from his place on the ground. The back of the veil was pinned into maroon hair pulled into a tight bun.

"Suprize" she whispered through a smirk that played on her red lips. She was as beautiful as ever, her lashes long and black, very few freckles placed upon her cheek bones, these past few years had done her well.

"Ginny?" He gasped. The smile left her face quickly and her wand was out in an instant. Pain shot through his body and he squirmed around on the floor in pain.

After a few moments it stopped and he was able to take a full breath and gained the neck strength to look up at her again. Her eyes were hard now, her lips in a line, but still amazing as before.

"You will address me as Mistress. I am your superior, and not even those closest to me call me by my childish nickname. Ginny died with my family. You are the reason I became what I am. I guess we should all be thanking you for that Potter." She clapped her hands slowly, mocking him.

"Well, here comes the hard part. Should I kill you. Or offer you a position in my ranks? Obviously you are a powerful wizard, seeing as you brought down the most powerful wizard of all time."

"How could you?" He asked, wounded.

She froze and a few people rose to handle him but she stopped the dead in their tracks with one look for her dark eyes. "No, I will humor him." She addressed them, "How could I what, ?" She cocked her head to the side.

"You betrayed everything your family ever stood for. You married him? You carry his child? We were in love. We had a future." His words were filled with sorrow and pain as she looked at him curiously.

"What we had, you call that love?"

He merely nodded.

"Then we have very different definitions of what love is." She examined her nails as she spoke.

"But you said" he began but she cut him off.

"I was but a child when I said those things!" Ginevra screeched, she paused for a moment and gathered her composure before continuing, "When you love someone, you become one, is that not true?"

Harry nodded from his spot on the floor.

"As one, you are equal parts. Not the same, but equal. There are no secrets, no lies, nothing to hinder you from being partners in every way." She talked to the entire room, but then in a slightly quieter voice she addressed Harry. "We had no love for one another. You lusted for me, and I worshiped you. Which are two very important parts of a successful marriage, but not the only ones. My husband treated me as an equal, listened, took my experiences and feelings into consideration before every decision he made after pledging his life to me. He never once lied, hid, or left behind. He never sugar coated things, he told me as they were. He loved me, worshiped me, listened to me, provided for me, and most importantly, shared his throne with me. He would never leave me to witness my family being torn to shreds, to be raped by a couple of muggles in an ally way, and to live like animal in the woods for two weeks. He would never lie to make things easier for him when he slipped away into night. And he would never, ever, think me incapable of defending myself or others and leave me to be protected like some child. My husband made me happier and feel stronger than you ever did Harry Potter, and you struck him down three hours ago. Yet again, you are a hindrance to my happiness."

She stared him down for a moment, fuming.

"Take him back to the dungeons! " she shouted, startling everyone in the room. They all sat frozen in their spots, "Get the hell up! Is anyone even listening to me?"

People began scrambling about, Men came forward and drug him away. She locked eyes with him until the door slammed shut, cutting her out of his vision.


End file.
